Volunteers in the "Toilet-trees" drive delivered donations to Ada Jenkins Center Dec. 18. (Bonnie Newell photo)

At this time of year, the spirit of giving prevails and churches, organizations and individuals throughout Davidson are doing their parts. We don’t hear about all of them, but here are a couple that have come to our attention: That “Toilet-trees” drive for Ada Jenkins Center last week produced several carloads of personal items – from paper towels to diapers to home cleansers. And the Angel Trees organized by Davidson police and firefighters again this year will ensure that some of our less fortunate neighbors will have a little something under the tree on Christmas morning.

’TOILET-TREES’

The Worsley Family of South Street helped organize a toiletries drive over two days last week to help families served by the Ada Jenkins Center. They settled on the name “Toilet-Trees” (and even had a real tree stuck in a toilet bowl), reasoning that a bad pun might have a good result. It worked.

Hundreds of families, including those with students at the nearby Davidson Elementary School, donated badly needed personal items to the drive. Some dropped the items off as they drove by the Worsley home on South Street. Others sent them to school with their children or dropped them off at Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on South Main Street, which also got involved.

Organizers said the donations filled five vehicles. Members of the Worsley family, Davidson Elementary School families and other volunteers delivered the supplies to Ada Jenkins Center last Friday, Dec. 18, as snow began to fall across Davidson.

Lynn Hennighausen, a parent who was there, said Ada Jenkins center Georgia Krueger “spoke with all of the children just before we left to go home and play in the snow. With tears in her eyes, she talked about the good thing they’d done. It was moving and inspirational. … Amazing what 48 hours can do.”

Holly Worsley of South Street, whose family got the project rolling, said besides generating donations, the project also taught children about the meaning of the drive – thanks in part to the “toilet-tree” pun, which got conversations started.

“When the cars would drive by in the morning, the adult in the car would laugh when they saw the toilet and the tree and the kids would look confused.  We knew what followed was a family conversation about what the pun meant, and more importantly why people would need items such as these.  Families were having conversations about what they had and what they might give to others,” Ms. Worsley told DavidsonNews.net in an email.

“Secondly, it was inspiring to see the effort snow ball. Our family began with the idea and provided slogan, banners and “Toilet/Trees.” But Lynn Hennighausen made the ask of the school to do an all school phone call.  Several teachers and principal Terry Hall were literally in tears at the school today (Friday) as student after student walked up with bags full of donations.  Then, Ben & Jerry’s got wind of the campaign and Karen Toney sent out an email to her whole mailing list about the drive.  They collected a large number of items that we picked up and included in our delivery.

“I was reminded of the generous nature of our Davidson community, my family (and hopefully many others) was blessed by the contagious momentum of a true spontaneous grass roots movement, and our children (and their parents) remembered that leadership and service are “caught” not taught,” Ms. Worsley said.

(Read our Dec. 16 report, “Toilet-trees drive aims to fill a need (pun intended)”)

Bicycles, toys and other gifts filled several offices and the board room of South Main Square awaiting delivery last week. (David Boraks photo)

ANGEL TREES

The Davidson police and fire departments’ Angel Tree, traditionally put up in Town Hall after Thanksgiving, expanded to a second location this year at St. Alban’s Church. The effort – and generosity of dozens of donors – allowed the program to help more families than ever, in a year when need has grown, said Kathleen Rose, who helped organize the drive.

The Ada Jenkins Center supplied the names and Christmas wish lists of families it serves. The two angel trees carried gift tags with the items listed. Donors picked up tags, shopped for the bicycles, toys, clothing, gift cards, and other requests, and then delivered them back to the trees. The donated gifts included a delivery from the local Toys for Tots drive, she said.

Davidson police and firefighters then made the rounds, playing Santa and delivering the gifts to local homes.

Ms. Rose said the Angel Tree effort typically helps 25 to 30 families. This year, 50 families were helped, she said.

Read more about this year’s Angel Tree effort in our Nov. 23 report, “Help a local family with an angel tree gift.”